The present disclosure relates generally to a wrap-around irrigation tube patch for sealing or repairing damaged sections of irrigation tubing and methods for sealing or repairing damaged sections of irrigation tubing.
“Irrigation tubing” generally refers to a wide variety of physical structures that are employed to distribute water for irrigation or various related purposes. Most irrigation tubing is cylindrical tubing composed of a polymer composition having a line of peripheral holes designed to distribute water from the water source to the field. In the past, irrigation tubing has been generally composed of rigid and hard material, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or aluminum. More recently, the use of material having greater flexibility has become popular. For example, most irrigation tubing is now composed of thin, flexible yet resilient material such as low density polyethylene. Flexible irrigation tubing provides many benefits compared to hard, rigid tubing used in the past, as it is more economical and labor-saving.
While the demand for flexible irrigation tubing has grown, problems have arisen due to the thin, flexible material used. For example, a common problem associated with using flexible irrigation tubing is the tendency for the tubing to become easily damaged. Any number of causes can damage the irrigation tubing, non-limiting examples of which include, animals stepping on and/or biting the irrigation tubing, farm equipment and tractors driving into and over the irrigation tubing, storm damage, including tree limbs puncturing the irrigation tubing. As a result of such damage, water leaks through the damaged section of the irrigation tubing, creating a loss in water, energy, and possibly causing crop damage.
In general, repairing damaged sections of flexible irrigation tubing requires a great deal of time and labor. For example, a common method for repairing punctures or holes in flexible irrigation tubing involves cutting the damaged section of the flexing tubing out, replacing the damaged section of flexible irrigation tubing with a new section of rigid tubing having external ridges on both ends, wrapping the open ends of the flexible irrigation tubing around the ends of the rigid tubing, and tying a wire around the outside ends of the flexible irrigation tubing that overlap with the ends and external ridges of the hard tubing. This form of irrigation tubing repair is labor intensive and requires a significant amount of time to complete.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a quick and inexpensive way to repair and seal damaged sections in flexible irrigation tubing. It would be advantageous if the repair material (i.e., wrap-around irrigation tube patch) could be made of the same thin, flexible material as the irrigational tubing.